In most electric vehicles, an electric motor basically replaces the internal combustion engine. The unique characteristics and performance brought by electric propulsion – like extremely fast response and a very wide power band – are not used in an optimal way.
Mate Rimac, founder of Rimac Automobili Engineering in Zagrab, Croatia, believes the electric motor is a much better machine compared to the internal combustion engine in almost all aspects, especially for a sports car. He is out to prove this with the Rimac Concept One supercar.
The heart of the Concept One is the All Wheel Torque Vectoring System (AWTVS) that’s divided into four subsystems. Each subsystem, which drives one wheel completely independent of the others, features a high-speed, liquid-cooled permanent magnet electric motor developed exclusively for the Concept One. Both front and rear units have a liquid-cooled inverter and symmetrical motor-controller reduction gearbox.
Each motor produces 272 horsepower for a total of 1088 horsepower, with 2803 pound-feet of torque. This torque is available right from the start so the 3630 pound car can accelerate to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds. It has a computer limited top speed of 190 mph. The very large 92 kilowatt-hour battery module provides a nominal 672 mile range.
With AWTVS, each wheel is independently controlled thousands of times each second, in both directions. Sophisticated ECUs perform this exacting control using the input of many precise sensors placed throughout the car. This adds up to unique driving dynamics that are yet to be fully explored, says the company.
Billed as a ‘hypercar,’ the Concept One’s styling matches its performance. Its carbon-fiber body was designed by Adriano Mudri, while a team of former Pininfarina employees did the interior with help from leather specialist Vilner. Special attention has been paid to the infotainment system and technologies like heads-up displays and soft-close doors.
The Concept One is an outgrowth of an old BMW 3-Series that Rimac converted for electric vehicle racing. Through its five iterations, the BMW finally wound with a powertrain like that used in the Concept One. Indeed, this BMW is now used as a test mule in the development of batteries, battery management systems, propulsion system, and other technologies. The old BMW, now officially homologated as a Rimac Automobili e-M3, is still campaigned in events like the recent 800 kilometer ‘e-miglia’ race in the Italian Alps for electric vehicles.
The company claims that Concept One production will begin in 2013 and be limited to 88 units. Prices have not been announced, but the Concept One is expected to be competitive with gasoline-powered supercars from Pagani, Koenigsegg, and Bugatti.
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